The Historians of Angevin England is a study of the explosion of creativity in historical writing in England in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, and what this tells us about the writing of history in the middle ages. Many of those who wrote history under the Angevin kings of England chose as their subject the events of their own time, and explained that they did so simply because their own times were so interesting and eventful. This was the age of Henry II and Thomas Becket, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart, the invasion of Ireland and the Third Crusade, and our knowledge and impression of the period is to a great extent based on these contemporary histories. The writers in question - Roger of Howden, Ralph of Diceto, William of Newburgh, Gerald of Wales, and Gervase of Canterbury, to name a few - wrote history that is not quite like anything written in England before. Remarkable for its variety, its historical and literary quality, its use of evidence and its narrative power, this has been called a 'golden age' of historical writing in England. The Historians of Angevin England, the first volume to address the subject, sets out to illustrate the historiographical achievements of this period, and to provide a sense of how these writers wrote, and their idea of history. But it is also about how medieval intellectuals thought and wrote about a range of topics: the rise and fall of kings, victory and defeat in battle, church and government, and attitudes to women, heretics, and foreigners.

The Historians of Angevin England

History

Staunton, Michael

Europe

Oxford University Press

Hints for Hardinge,: Being a Series of Political Essays Published Originally in the Dublin Morning Register; with an Appendix, Containing Observations ... the Poor in Ireland, and Letters to the Edi

Nabu Press

The human face of Ireland through 2,000 years of Irish Christianity, from St. Patrick to the Peace Process.

The Voice of the Irish: The Story of Christian Ireland

HiddenSpring

A life of England’s most famous martyr, rooted in the currents of twelfth-century Europe.\nThis book explores the turbulent life and violent death of Thomas Becket, one of the most controversial figures in the Middle Ages: a London merchant’s son turned royal chancellor, an archbishop of Canterbury turned martyred saint. Michael Staunton looks at Becket’s complex and contested legacy, drawing from the bishop’s writings as well as those of his contemporaries.\nBased on extensive research, this account offers a fresh perspective on Thomas Becket’s life and places him within the broader landscape of twelfth-century England and Europe—a time of rapid change and conflict. The book is perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about a pivotal figure in medieval history.

Thomas Becket and His World (Medieval Lives)

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Reaktion Books

In the wake of his murder in December 1170, an extraordinarily large number of Lives of Thomas Becket were produced.They provide an invaluable witness to the life and death of Thomas and the dramatic events in which he was involved, but they are also works of great literary value, more complex and sophisticated than has been recognised. This book, the first to be devoted to the biographers and their works, consists of an examination the individual Lives, followed by an analysis of the biographers' treatment of the major themes in Thomas's life - conversion, conflict, trial, exile and martyrdom - in the light of contemporary hagiographical, historical and theological writing and canon law. It raises points of major significance for the study of intellectual and literary life in the central middle ages and provides an important reassessment of the Becket conflict and Thomas Becket himself. Dr MICHAEL STAUNTON is Lecturer in Medieval History, School of History and Archives, University College Dublin.

Thomas Becket and his Biographers (Studies in the History of Medieval Religion, 28) (Volume 28)

Boydell Press

Illustrated. Notes. Bibliography. Index. 204p.

Illustrated History of Christian Ireland: From St. Patrick to the Peace Process

Merlin Pub

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